Machine for making stuffing for furniture



JQIL 1 9, 14937- J. KRoNHElM 2,068,139

MACHINE FOR MAKINGHSTUFFING FOR FURNITURE original Filed Aug. 1', 19:55 3 sheets-sheet 1 Jan. 19, 1937. J, KRONHEIM 2,068,139

MACHINE FOR MAKING STUFFING FOR FURNITURE Original Filed Aug.'A l, 1955 5 Shee'os-Sheei'I 2 y INVENTOR www l (L1 I ATTORNEY Jap. 19, 1937. J.' KRONHEIM 2,068,139

' MACHINE FOR MAKING STUFFING FOR-FURNITURE I v Original Filed Aug. l, 1932 "A 3 Sheets-'Sheet 3 Patented dan. 19, 1937 UNITED S'il" y S Jacob Kronheim, Cleveland, ohio Application August l, 1933, Serial No. 683,223 Renewed July 24, 1935 7 Claims.

My invention r-elates in general to stufng for chairs, cushions, mattresses and the like and more particularly to sanitary, strong, durable, and resilient, fibrous stuilng, which will not pack, grind and/or gather up in use, and which can readily be made from strips or strands of raw fibrous material sprayed with water or other fluid, curled, dried and finally pulled or picked apart to impart the desired flufness to th-e nished product.

At present stuiiing having the above characteristics is made in a continuous process by machines such as described in my copending application Serial No. 682,703, filed on July 28, 1933, wherein the raw brous material is subjected to curling operations by forcibly pressing the material into contact with the corrugated surface of a heated rotating curling drum, for an appreciable length of time. This extended Contact with the heated drum frequently results in the 20 raw material becoming burnt during th-e curling operations or so dry that it becomes brittle. Furthermore, the number of curls which machines of the type referred to are capable of imparting is very limited and it is impractical to provide them with means for increasing the curls.

The general object of the present invention is to provide an improved machine for economically and continuously producing stuffing from raw fibrous material in which the material is subjected to several curling and drying operations, for short time intervals, by means of a plurality of successively arranged sets of curling and drying means.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a machine adapted to produce overlapping curls in the brous raw material by means of sets of successively arranged curling and drying means.

With the above objects in View and in order that those skilled in this art may have a full and. complete understanding of the' structural and .functional advantages of a machine embodying this invention and in order that the attainment of other desirable objects may be indicated, I have illustrated in the accompanying drawings a preferred embodiment of the invention and throughout the various views of these drawings like reference characters refer to the same parts.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is a plan View of a machine embody- .ing the invention, which machineproduces in a continuous manner the finished stufling from raw material fed thereinto; 'f

Figure 2 is a side'view of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged transverse view on line fl-3 of Figure l;

Figure 4 is an enlarged cross sectional view through a set of curling drums of the machine,

Ythe section being taken on lineiof Figure 1;

finished product, but it is thought that the operation of the machine will be best understood by describing each section, in turn.

' Section A comprises a frame 2 of laterally spaced channel irons 3, having at their outer ends legs d, which are preferably mounted in a Vfoundation 5, extending lengthwise of the machine. v The inner ends of channels 3 are connected to and supported by laterally extending arms S of the main frame l of the curling and drying section B, angle irons 8 riveted to frame 2 being employed to connectvthe parts 3 and 6 together, as by riveting or the like. The outer -ends of channel irons 3 rotatably support an idler roller 9, and arms il of frame 'i' vrotatably 'support a driven roller il, and mounted upon these rollers is an endless conveyor belt im The shaft l@ of idler roller 9 is stationary, Whereas the shaft l2 of driven roller li is rotatably supported, and carries at one end a driving gear I3. A spraying device i5 embodying a nozzle I6, connected by means of supply lines Il and i8 with a supply tank, not shown, is arranged above belt conveyor iii. Water, or Where desirable, a chemical solution is sprayed upon the material while the latter is being conveyed toward the curling and drying section.

After the raw material has been dampened, this material is simultaneously curled and dried While advancing through curling and drying section B. This section includes the main frame 'l previously referred to, which frame consists of two oppositely arranged frame members i9, mounted on foundation 5 and rigidly secured together and properly spaced with respect to each other.

through pipe 42,

ward pair consisting of upper and lowe-r cooperating drums 2|), 2| and the rear pair of upper and lower drums 22 and 23, all of which drums are rotatably mounted upon their respective upper and lower hollow shafts 24 and 25, non-rotatably supported at their opposite ends in frame members I 9. As the various drums and mountings therefor are substantially identical a description of one set or pair will suffice for both. The lower shaft 25 of the lower drum 23 of the forward pair of drums is secured in a suitable opening in members |9 against vertical and longitudinal movement by means of set screws 26. The upper shaft 24 is mounted for vertical adjustment in elongated openings 36 of brackets 21, inturn slidably mounted on parallel posts 28 and yieldingly forced against their seats by compression springs 29, set screws 3| being employed for securing the shaft in desired adjusted position.

Anti-friction roller bearings 32 mounted in perforated disks 33, inturn attached to the side walls 34 of the drums reduce friction between the drum shafts and their respective drums to a minimum. The cylindrical surface or periphery of the drums is longitudinally corrugated to provide a curling surface embodying elongated ribs 35 and grooves 31 of substantial depth. The ribs and grooves of each set of curling drums mesh and cooperate with each other during curling operations to resiliently press the material fed thereto into the grooves of the drums.

It is essential that the raw material fed to the drums by conveyor belt I be subjected to both heat and pressure, in order to produce the desired curling effect,A thus the pressure is exerted by the cooperation of the two drums of each set and the heat is individually supplied by each of said drums. Each drum encloses in its hollow body a plurality of gas burners 38 mounted on brackets 39 inturn rigidly secured to the stationary supporting shaft of said drum. Burners 38 communicate through pipes 46 with the bore 4| of their respective shafts, fuel being supplied connected with any suitable source of supply, not shown. A plurality of openings 43, arranged in the side walls 34 of the drums provide the necessary air for the burners 38, four of which provide the desired heat to each drum. As one set of drums is materially spaced from the other set, the heated raw material energizing from the forward set will not be immediately subjected to the heat and pressing action of the second set, in other words the continuity of the curling and drying action of the drums is broken. Furthermore as the material is fed in a straight line through the respective sets of drums, as will be presently understood, the period of contact between the drums and the raw material is of short duration, the drums may be heated to relatively high temperatures without danger to the raw material.

The use of two or more sets or pairs of curling drums through which the material is successively fed, insures a more thorough drying and curling action and also permits of a much finer and greater number of short curls being made than heretofore. The length and therefore the number of curls formed in the raw material can be readily regulated or predetermined by timing the rotation of the sets of drums with respect to each other, or by specifically timed conveying means which carry the material from one curling set to the other. The latter arrangement, which is specifically disclosed in the exemplified form of the invention, embodies two cooperating belt conveyors 44 and 45, symmetrically arranged one above each other, and adapted to transport the partly curled material issuing from the first set of curling drums to the second set of drums.

The top and bottom conveyor belts 44 and 45 respectively, travel in opposing directions over idle rollers 46-46 and 41-47 and driven rollers 48-48 in a substantially triangular course, and the conveying portions or flights of these belts are spaced with respect to and converge slightly towards each other in the direction of their rotation. These respective opposing conveying fiights preferably pass over and are backed by plates t9-4S', which also converge toward each other in a forwardly direction or in the direction of flow of raw material passing through the machine. The brous partly curled material is thus tightly gripped between the two opposing belt surfaces, as it is fed to the second set of curling drums. A positive and uniform feed is thus obtained. The speed of conveyors 44-45 is so timed with respect to that of the two sets of curling rolls that the corrugations of the second set of curling rolls will engage the material at points somewhat offset from or overlapping the curls formed by the nrst set, thus increasing the elasticity and flufiiness of the finished product. The material passes through the first set of curling rolls and through the conveyor belts 44 and 45 at the same speed, whereas the speed of the second set of corrugated curling rolls must be much less than that of the first set and also less than that of the travel of material through belts 44 and 45, because the second set of rolls have the effect of shortening the fibers to approximately the same extent as the first set. This relative difference in speed of rotation between two sets of curling rollers and the conveyor belts 44 and 45, supplemented by the compressing action of the said belts, causes the second set of rolls to form curls supplemental to and overlapping those formed by the first set.

After the material has been curled and dried in the continuous operation previously described said material is conveyed to the picking and delivery section C, by means of endless conveyor belt 52, which operates over an idler roller and driven roller 5|'. Roller 5| is mounted in the outer ends of a pair of laterally spaced parallel channel irons 54 supported at their outer ends on legs 55. The inner ends of channels 54 are connected to and supported by laterally extending arms 56 on main frame 1, by means of angle irons 51. The shaft for idler roller 5| is stationary, whereas the shaft for driven roller 5| is rotatably supported, and has a driving gear 62 mounted on one end. Conveyor 52 delivers the curled and dried material to a pulling and picking device C, arranged in alignment with and adjoining the discharge end of said conveyor. This device, which is of common design, embodies two oppositely rotating picking rolls 64 and 65, arranged in a housing 66 having at one side thereof an elongated discharge opening 6l through which the finished product is discharged. The rotating picking rolls 64, 65 carry a plurality of picking teeth 68 adapted to separate or split the material longitudinally into a multiplicity of fine fibers or threads and to change the previously curled, dried and hardened material into a curly, fiuffy product of inherent resiliency. According to common practice in picking devices of the kind referred to, rolls 64 and 65 rotate with different speeds and are of different size to more readily accomplish the desired results.

The machine thus described is driven by an electricA motor 69. This motor is coupled f by means of a pulley drive 'Ill with a reduction unit 1|, which in turn is coupled with the lower curling and drying drums of both sets of drums, by means of a chain drive. This chain drive embodies a small gear |3, rigidly connected to shaft 'M of reduction unit'll, a larger gear l5, rigidly connected to drum 2| of the first set of curling and drying drums, a still larger gear 'E6 rigidly connected to curling and drying drum 23, and a chain 11. The pulley drive, the reduction unit ll and the chain drive 12, just described, reduces the speed of the rst set of curling and drying drums 2li- 2| relative to that .of motor l69 to a ratio of 1 to 10 revolutions per minute, and also drive the second set of drums at approximately half the speed of the rst set. The number of revolutions of drum 2| governs the speed of travel of conveyor belt l and the number of revolutions of drum 23 governs the speed of travel of conveyor belt 52, thus insuring proper feeding of material to the first set of curling and drying drums and also properly timed discharge from the second set. Conveyor belt |0 of course must travel much faster than the curling drums 20, 2| because of the curling and shortening action of the drums. On the other hand the speed of travel of conveyor belt 52 must be approximately equal to the travel of the drums 22-23 to prevent stretching and accumulation of the partly curled and dried material in front of the pulling and picking device C. Thus, there is provided a chain drive between drum 2| and gear I3 of conveyor lil, which includes a larger gear 'H9 rigidly mountedon drum 2|, gear |3 and chain '|8. Conveyor belt 52 is driven from drum 23 by means of a chain drive, which embodies a gear 82, gear 62 and a chain 83. Conveyors lill and 45 are driven from drums 22 and 23 respectively, by means of chain drives 84 and 55, as best shown in Figure 3. The pulling and picking device C is individually driven by a` separate motor 85 thus providing for independent adjustment of the speed of picking rolls |54 and 55.

The operation of the machine is as follows: When burners 38 have sufliciently heated the drums 2li-2|, 22-23 the raw material is manually or automatically fed to conveyor lll and during its travel on said conveyor the material is dampened by spraying device I5. The moist material is then fed u ninterruptedly to the curling and drying section, where it is successively curled and dried by the successive curling and drying drums, and after leaving said section curled and dried is conveyed to the pulling and picking device C where it is pulled and picked apart and finally discharged through discharge opening 6l.

It is believed that the foregoing conveys a clear understanding of my improvements and the objects prefaced above, but it should be understood that while I have illustrated onlyone working embodiment of my invention various changes and modications might be made without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention,

What I claim is:

1. In a machine for making stumng for chairs, couches, etc. from bro-us material having a curling section, means for advancing said material through said curling section including spaced sets of differently timed rotatory curling and crimp- -ing means, and conveying means between said ing means for heating same during curling operations.

2. In a machine for making stuhing for chairs, couches, etc. from fibrous material having a curling section, means for advancing said material through said curling section including spaced sets of differently timed curling and crimping means, and conveying means between said sets of curling and crimping means timed to insure olfsetting and overlapping of the crimps and curls in said material by said first and second curling and crimping means, and means within said curling and crimping means for heating sam during curling operations.

3. In a machine for making stuffing for chairs, couches, etc. from fibrous material having a curling section means for advancing said material through said curling section including spaced sets of differently timed curling and crimping means each embodying two superposed rotatable heated curling and crimping drums, and conveying means intermediate said sets of curling and crimping means timed to approximate the rotary speed of the faster rotating, curling and crimping means to feed the curling material coming from one set of curling and crimping means to the adjoining set of curling and crimping means.

4. In a machine for making stuffing for chairs, couches etc. from fibrous material having a curling section, means for advancing said material through said curling section embodying sets of aligned rotary curling means', a single drive means for driving said sets of curling means at different speeds of rotation, conveying means intermediate said sets of curling means and drive connections between said conveying means and said sets of curling means to advance material fed through said curling section in timed relation with respect to said curling means.

5. In a machine for making stuffing for chairs, couches etc. from fibrous material as described in claim 4, conveying means at opposite ends of said curling section and driving connection between the sets of curling means and said conveyors.

6. In a machine for making stuffing for chairs, couches etc. from fibrous material having a curling section, a frame, pairs of hollow shafts, nonrotatably mounted o n said frame in spaced relation with respect to each other, hollow curling drums rotatably mounted within said frame upon said shafts, a plurality of heating elements within each curling drum mounted upon its corresponding hollow shaft, means extending through each shaft to said heating elements to supply said elements with heat, and a plurality of conveying meansY within said curling section and at opposite ends thereof, the speeds of said conveying means being differently timed with respect to each other.

7. In a machine for making stuffing for upholstery, comprising two separated sets of curling rollers driven at proportionately diiferent speeds, conveying means between the curling rollers and driven at a speed to cause the second curling means to form curls in the fibrous material overlapping` the curls formed by the other curling means.

VJACOB KRONI-IEIM. 

